Question on Porsche Suspension Options from a new Owner

I receive a lot of email from readers of 993C4S. I do my very best to respond to each one in a timely manner. A lot of the email comes from one of my previous posts where I owned up to the fact that "I'm not a Porsche expert, but I play one on the Internet." In this post I offered to answer any question you may have, so long as it was Porsche related. You know the saying "be careful what you wish for." Does that ever fit in this situation. The fact is, I have a pretty long back-log of questions to answer and I'm doing my level best to get to each of them. For most of you, I will answer directly via email. For others, such as Greg, a new Porsche 993 owner and whose question is the subject of this post, I will answer on the site.

Greg recently purchased a 1996 Porsche 993 C4S. Those are pictures of his new baby below. Greg's purchase brought him a beautiful example in Arena Red (one of my favorite colors for a Porsche 993, second only to Forest Green which we all know is the fastest color) with 19k miles, and a multitude of upgrades including: HID headlights, Euro-front bumper, factory wing, Eibach springs (to lower from SUV ride height) and RSR mufflers. All in all a very well configured Porsche 993 C4S.

On Greg's car, the previous owner had simply installed the shorter Eibach springs and did nothing else to the suspension. As a result, Greg wanted more information on PSS9s. He was familiar with most of the upgrades on my best upgrades for the money list, but not the PSS9s. After a brief email exchange, we were able to distill the question down even further:

"What is the ideal Porsche suspension set-up that provides a lowered ride height and still offers a compliant ride?"

As my car is still at stock ride height with no plans on changing it (I like the supple ride as my wife and I take long road trips as often as possible) I didn't feel I was the best person to answer the question. I did explain that the PSS9s are probably the most common option, that I was aware, of and the reason people liked them was their ability to be adjusted. So, instead of just publishing one opinion, I wanted to open the floor to all of you, the readers.

Don't let the URL of this site fool you, we're not all about 993s. I hear from the onwers of plenty of other models (911 SCs, 930s, 964, 996) with similar questions. Let's hear your opinion. What suggestions would you give to Greg for lowering his ride height while still keeping a supply/compliant ride? Use the comment field below to let us know or email me at suspensionsuggestions@993C4S.com

Ryan covered everything pretty well. Here is the current order of conventional wisdom:

1) M030 – Firmer but compliant, less expensive

2) H&R Spring w/ HD Stocks – Very popular but more expensive

3) PSS9/10 – Great compromise for street and track, some say too stiff for the street

4) JIC/Cross – Becoming popular due to the bang for the buck. Comes with Camber Plates and Monoballs plus you can choose your spring rates. More expensive. More track oriented but can be driven on the street.

Good input by all… been there, done that myself. Went all routes and the winner is…

PSS9 (and don’t look back)!

The smoothest, most adjustable, and best street/track ride mix ever. Combine that with a set of RE050A Pole Positions and you’ll have grip-grip-grip… and still be able to take a lady out for a nice ride through the streets of San Francisco for a evening dinner and symphony concert.